TAWOG FanFiction: How to Succeed in the Archive
by Marches45 Story Network
Summary: This little guide is meant to help new or struggling authors of the archive. Lord knows I've gotta take my own advice. PS: Happy Eveli-October!
1. Chapter 1

Hello. I'm Marches45, author and critic. Some of you already know me as the guy that wrote _The Will._ While that was my most popular and best ranking fanfiction (which may get me nominated for _Best Writer_), this is a true statement: one good story does not, a good writer, make. Why is that true? Because everything else I've done is crap and deserves to be buried. Now, all you new or struggling authors, I'm going to give you tips on how to not make the mistake I made until "The Will." I'm going to show you how to succeed in the TAWOG FanFiction Archive. Let's begin.

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In this archive, there are good writers, bad writers, and people in between. You want to be a good writer, right? Here are some things your stories need to contain to make it good.

-**Have a good plot**: This is major. To have a good story, you must have a good plot. If it's too simple, your story's score will not be high. More about scores and critics later.

-**Be realistic**: Again, major. Your story needs to be realistic. The characters need to be as in character as possible, so OOC doesn't work a lot. Too many flaws in this area will negatively affect you.

-**Be original**: I'm doing the big stuff first because it takes precedence. Be original. Avoid clichés, or use as few as possible. That will reflect in your score. A list of clichés can be found at "The Blue Shinra Project | The Grand List of FanFiction Clichés."

-**Use detail**: Don't rush. You've got time. Of course, you should be concise as well. Don't bore your readers.

-**Have good grammar**: This one, I feel, doesn't get enough attention. Call me a Grammar Nazi, but you should avoid grammatical mistakes. The biggest one is "me/him/her/us/them and…" You, he, she, it, we, they, and I are subject pronouns and belong at the beginning of declarative clauses. The pronouns in the quotation marks belong at the end because they're object pronouns.

-**Be fluid**: The characters should not talk as if stilted. If you can imagine the speaker saying the dialogue like a normal person, it's probably okay.

-**Genre**: Choose the right genres for your stories. Some of our critics rate based on that.

-**Use caution when cussing**: This is harder the newer you are. Don't stick too many in your story because it won't look good.

-**OCs**: NeoNimbus is probably the best writer in terms of OCs. Few other authors can make good stories with original characters that are memorable. Even I can't. So, err on the side of not using them. I'm not saying you can't use them; just be careful.

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Note about Critics: This is the only archive I've seen in which there are critics (of course, I haven't seen every archive). Critics are authors here that know good writing. They look for the stuff I've listed above, so they decide what's good, and what's shit. We on the TAWOG FF Archive rate stories, be it via the 4-, 5, or 10-star system, but the ratings from the critics are the most valid. In the story reviews, it will be they who tell you not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. The good critics here include: EvelioandZgroup, Jamie Skyland, Laengruk10001, Bryce Avila, FFCriticReviewer, and Antr. There are more, myself included, but these are probably the best of the best.

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Next are two things you can do to when you're not writing to better your skills.

-**Know which stories are good**. Read them, and absorb their styles. This will help you incorporate it into your writing, so that the critics will enjoy your stuff. "Amazing World of Gumball: FanFiction Reviews," by FFCriticReviewer, is a great source to use to find stories worth reading.

-**Know your critics**. Find out what stories they enjoy. STAY ON THEIR GOOD SIDES.

-**Get a beta reader**. This is optional, but a beta reader reads your story and makes edits before you release it to the public.

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Continuing on are tips about reviews.

-**Be prepared**. Once you publish your fanfiction, people can leave comments. Not all of them will be sparkling.

-**Don't get butt-hurt so easily**. This is big. If a critic, or anyone, doesn't like your story, they WILL let you know, even if they're brutally honest. Don't get upset; that will just make you look bad in their eyes. The review is just a sign that you need to improve, and this is a fact: NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR HOW WELL YOU (THINK YOU) WRITE, YOU NEED IMPROVEMENT.

-**Be respectful**. If you review a story you didn't like, don't go off and bash the writer. Brutally honest and rude aren't the same. Focus on the story, not the author.

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Now, let's discuss awards.

EvelioandZgroup and Jamie Skyland are the hosts of the annual TAWOG Awards. It's the Oscars for fanfiction, giving you the opportunity to vote for the best stories, writers, etc. on the archive. Keep this in mind when you write. Your stories might just wind up winning an award.

Unfortunately, due to someone deleting it, I don't know what will happen for this or next year.

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You know what's ironic? I'm making this, but I probably failed to write it well. Anyway, that concludes the TAWOG FanFiction: How to Succeed in the Archive. Now, go forth and write well.


	2. Chapter 2

Well its me, dfitz8248. I will be speaking my mind in this chapter about  
fanfics. Why? Because I can. Jk I felt like it, and Marches45 allowed me to.

1. Make fanfics. If you have an account, there is no reason you can't  
make fanfics. If you haven't ever made a fanfic before and are afraid of  
screwing up, don't be. After all, who cares if your first fanfic is shit, good  
or amazing?

I, for one, made my fanfic "Car Problems in the Desert" and was pleased. Why.  
Because i made it. It was something i could call my own.

2. Bad reviews. If you get these, DON'T stop writing. Learn what was bad or  
not good enough, and improve on it. For example, my story CPitD. Now, granted, I didn't get bad reviews, but I saw I could improve, so I went back and added  
stuff where it was needed and what not.

3. DON'T rush. I can't stand when I see this, whether it be romance, action,  
or important parts in the story.


End file.
